nginx: rewrite or internal redirection cycle while internally redirecting to "/index.html"

What the message looks like

2026/10/29 09:14:02 [error] 1234#1234: *5678 rewrite or internal redirection cycle while internally redirecting to "/index.html", client: 203.0.113.5, server: example.com, request: "GET /app/ HTTP/2.0"

Common causes

• try_files $uri $uri/ /index.html; but /index.html does not exist in the root (build missing, wrong path).
• The root or an alias was changed and no longer points to the deployed site.
• The index file named in the config is not there.
• A location or rewrite rule sends the request back into itself.
• A single-page app was deployed without its index.html.

Check

1. The effective rules for this site
   nginx -T 2>/dev/null | grep -nE 'server_name|root |alias |try_files|index 'Copy
2. Does the fallback file exist?
   ls -l /var/www/app/index.htmlCopy
3. The exact log lines
   tail -n 20 /var/log/nginx/error.logCopy
4. Is the configuration valid?
   nginx -tCopy

Fix

• Point root to the directory that really contains index.html.
• Make sure the build was deployed and index.html is there and readable by nginx.
• For a single-page app use try_files $uri /index.html; and nothing that falls back to a path that again falls back.
• With an alias, check the trailing slashes and that try_files uses a path inside it.
• Reload: nginx -t && systemctl reload nginx.

FAQ

Why 500 and not 404?

nginx stops after 10 internal redirects and reports a server error, because the loop is a configuration problem, not a missing page.

Can the same message come from a rewrite rule?

Yes. A rewrite without last, break or a clear exit condition can also loop. Check each rewrite in the matching location.